Kingdom Hearts: The Dark Bearer Chronicles
by tslabaugh59
Summary: Dark Bearer  n  :  A Keybearer who exists and fights in the Realm of Light, though Darkness dwells in their heart.    They are the lost chapter in this tale.  This is their story…


DISCLAIMER: THIS STORY WAS WRITTEN BY A FAN SOLELY FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES. I DO NOT OWN KINGDOM HEARTS OR THE STORIES AND CHARACTERS INCORPORATED WITH IT (WITH THE EXCEPTION OF ORIGINAL CHARACTERS CREATED EXCLUSIVELY FOR THIS STORY). I DO NOT SEEK PROFIT FROM SAID ELEMENTS. NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT IS INTENDED.

WARNING: THIS STORY CONTAINS SPOILERS TO THE PLOT OF THE KINGDOM HEARTS SERIES. THIS STORY IS NOT RECOMMENDED FOR THOSE WHO HAVE YET TO DISCOVER VITAL PLOT POINTS OF THE SERIES THUS FAR (WITH THE EXCEPTION OF RE:CODED).

* * *

><p>There are many worlds...<p>

…But they all share the same sky…

…One sky…

…One destiny.

_Long ago, the worlds that are scattered across the night sky were not divided. They coexisted together in one World, and bathed in the Light. However, the people became selfish and began to fight over the Light to keep for themselves. From that, Darkness was born in their hearts. And so it spread like a plague, consuming the Light and many people's hearts, until the World all but disappeared. However, small fragments of Light survived, in the hearts of children, and the World was salvaged and rebuilt by these hearts. But the true Light sleeps deep within the Darkness, which is why the worlds remain scattered. But someday, a door to the innermost Darkness will be opened, and the true Light will return…_

The Keyblade War

The Keyblade is a very mysterious and powerful weapon, chosen by those who contain a strong heart. Keyblades had been received on both sides of the spectrum of Light and Darkness. Regardless, all Keybearers in the World of old became possessed by a singular idea. Kingdom Hearts, the heart of all worlds, the heart of all hearts, could be attained and controlled. However, according to legend, there was only one method of accomplishing this.

It was believed that if two Keyblades of equal power, one of Light and one of Darkness, would clash, they would forge an almighty weapon known as the χ-blade. And so, scores of Keybearers sparked what became known as the Keyblade War, a massive struggle in a desperate attempt to forge this weapon. But the War became too great for the World to sustain, as it spread and brought the fight to the outside worlds who sought to live in peace. And so, the World was lost as an aftermath to this War, and was reorganized, separating each lesser world with barriers. All was settled…until a certain Keybearer broke free of his world's walls and began meddling in the affairs of others.

The Lost Ones

On the eve of a Mark of Mastery exam was the last night that Terra, Aqua, and Ven would be together in peace. The following morning, Terra and Aqua, being of age, stepped forth to this challenge as Ven watched eagerly. However, only Aqua was deemed worthy of Mastery, as Terra's heart had clung to darkness. But where did it come from?

The victory and defeat were short lived as their Master, Eraqus, delivered them urgent news. Master Xehanort, an elderly Keyblade Master who had come to observe the exam, had vanished, and a dangerous new creature known as the Unversed had arisen across the worlds. Terra and Aqua set off to accomplish this task, and were joined by Ven, despite his being underage.

The trio traveled separately across many worlds, combating the Unversed and searching for this elusive Master. On several occasions, Terra found and briefly met with Xehanort. Whenever they spoke, Xehanort would feed Terra the idea that Eraqus feared his power and that inner Darkness could be channeled. To whatever purpose, Terra believed him. As for Aqua and Ven, they frequently ran into a masked boy named Vanitas, who seemed to love antagonizing the two with fights and radical claims made about themselves.

Little did they know that Xehanort and Vanitas were working together. They worked so hard to deceive the trio and lead them down a path to destruction. For example, Terra's trust in Xehanort ultimately led him to combat his own Master. A conflict that, in the end, struck down Eraqus. As these pieces were set in place, the three received invitations to the Keyblade Graveyard, where that dispute would be settled once and for all. It was on that night when Xehanort and Vanitas' true intentions were revealed…it was on that night when Terra, Aqua, and Ven were all lost to Darkness, one way or another…

Dark Bearer (n):

A Keybearer who exists and fights in the Realm of Light, though Darkness dwells in their heart

Not much has been revealed on this subject matter. In the days of old, a Keybearer who bore Darkness in their heart was immediately deemed a liability and were unfit to wield the Keyblade. Technically speaking, Terra was a Dark Bearer, though Master Eraqus saw that he was too valuable to give up on, seeing as how close he had come to becoming a Master. Typically, if one is titled a Dark Bearer, they are forbidden to train and be taught how to use the Keyblade. Some Masters had even gone so far as to banish such particular students from their world, or worse. But in the very unusual case, there was one Master, one who believed in balance and confronting one's Darkness, who took in these types of students. Many failed to reach the goal of his teachings, but some, three in particular, realized it. These said three were a trio of misfits, yet they confronted and conquered as many trials as Terra, Aqua and Ven had, if not more. They are the lost chapter in this tale. This is their story…

**Kingdom Hearts**

_**The Dark Bearer Chronicles**_

It was a calm autumn's night. The air was crisp and the sky was clear. The stars and the moon illuminated the castle towering over the vast wood surrounding it. It was so bright, the castle may as well have shone like a beacon in the engulfing darkness. Even with it's gothic architecture, it stood radiantly in the night.

Atop one of the high towers dwelled the master of the castle. He was, though very youthful, quiet and elusive, even from his own humble servants. He had spent many years dwelling in that castle, hiding from the rest of the world, shameful. But to what reason did he deserve to feel so ashamed?

However, on this particular calm night, the master stepped out of his shell in the shadows and onto the balcony. He peered out into the horizon, and for the first time in what seemed forever, he felt peaceful as he watched over the land. Would this last? He did not know or care. He simply savored this moment of serenity…until something caught his eye up within the stars.

The lights of distant worlds lit up the night sky, watching over the greater World as the castle watched over it's own. But something very peculiar grasped his attention. One of the stars was falling. The master watched as it fell further and further and grew bigger and bigger until he realized where the star was falling. By the time he determined this, he had barely reacted before it impacted the courtyard below.

The master burst out of his room and stormed down to the Entrance Hall. He proceeded to the great wooden doors on the other end of the hall and flung them open like they weren't even there. The scenery he saw simply infuriated him. What minutes ago was the falling star became a crater and debris littered over the courtyard. The master grunted with each breath, frustrated. Suddenly, he noticed something masked by the smoke fuming from the crater. Lying idly on the edge was a hand. The master pounced forward, roaring in fury towards whoever was responsible for desecrating his beloved castle. But once he approached the crater and whoever laid inside, he stood upon a sight that he could never have comprehended…

**Book I**

_**Tainted Wounds**_

Chapter I

_Awakening_

_"…Into the darkness…You betrayed us…Those thoughts are best forgotten-RIGEL-"_

His eyes shot open and his breathing was ever so slightly frantic. Sweat was dripping down his face and his mouth was dry. His head was still in a daze, but he could make out that he was lying in an unfamiliar place. He was lying in the darkness, but not the darkness he thought he would be in. Was he still in his own Realm?

He looked around to see that he was lying in a sizable room, and also two wooden beams in front of him holding up a canvas. He must have been lying in a four poster bed. He tried to pick himself up, but then realized how heavy his body felt. He braced his right arm on the bed and hoisted himself halfway into a sitting position. He then tried to support himself with his left arm, but when he put the slightest amount of pressure on it, pain seared through it as if nails were imbedded in his arm. He fell back down, hissing and gasping in agony. He dragged his right hand over to his opposite arm to grasp it, but felt something rough and slightly damp wrapped around it. A bandage. That's when it all came back to him…

"Try not to move," said a gruff voice, breaking his train of thought. He frantically turned his head to where he thought the voice came from.

"Who was that?" he asked. He whipped his lengthly hair away from his face to properly see the other end of the room. All he saw were glass doors leading out to the balcony in the night, illuminating that side of the room, and shadows surrounding it. Then the voice said, "If you move, it will only cause it more pain."

"Who are you?" he asked hurriedly. After his eyes had adjusted a bit, he could make out a bulky figure in the shadows.

"The master of this castle," said the voice, coming from the direction of the figure.

"…wait...I'm in a castle right now?" he asked.

"Yes," answered the voice.

"…I'm curious," he said as he attempted to drag himself back up with his right arm, letting the other lay idly, "…what brought me here?"

"I…," said the voice, hesitantly. "…I'm not entirely sure. You…you fell."

"…I fell?" he asked, confused. "Fell from what?"

"…you fell from the sky," the voice responded. He looked perplexed as the voice said this. "You fell and crashed into my courtyard. I thought that maybe you were an intruder until…"

"…until what?" he said.

"…until I saw your arm," said the voice. "It was bleeding badly. …I'm not very fond of having company in my castle, to say the least…but I couldn't just leave you out there." He just laid in silence as the voice told him this.

"…right," he finally said. "…hey…I'm not trying to just shove your hospitality back in your face or anything-I mean, I appreciate that you didn't just leave me out to die…but I don't exactly feel at ease about this without really knowing who you are. …what if you're not who you say?"

"What do you mean?" said the voice.

"I mean that right now, when you're standing in the shadows like that, it's kind of difficult to to tell if you're a friend or foe. …come into the light."

"…you don't want me to do that," said the voice defensively.

"Well I'm sorry to say but I'm not going to trust you until you do," he said. "…what are you so afraid of?"

"…you won't like what you see," said the voice.

"I'm pretty sure that I've seen worse," he said. "Come on. I want to see who you are." There was silence for the longest time until movement was made by the figure. And then, a foot stepped out into the light. Only it wasn't a foot, it was a paw bearing claws and fur. It was followed by a tall caped shoulder and clawed arm, and then a large maned face bearing fangs and horns atop his forehead. When he came into full view, beast and adolescent just stared back at each other in eerie silence. Finally, the adolescent broke the silence.

"…um…this is what you were so scared to show me?" the adolescent asked, confused. The beast looked baffled at this answer.

"…well...aren't you afraid?" he asked.

"…am I supposed to be afraid," the adolescent asked back. The beast looked more baffled than before.

"Well…look at me!" he said, bewildered.

"So you're a big teddy bear with fangs, horns and claws. Big deal," remarked the adolescent. The beast just stood there, confused to say the least, to this boy's response. "I mean, I just can't take you that seriously when you're this fuzzy, so if you were going for scary beyond all measure, I'm sorry to disappoint." The beast gave up at this point and just stood there.

"What's your name?" asked the beast.

"Rigel," said the adolescent. "What about you?"

"…I…I actually haven't used my true name in quite some time," said the beast.

"What, have you just gone by Beast?" asked Rigel.

"No," said the beast, "I've only ever been called Master by my servants…but you can call me Beast if you would like."

"Are you sure?" asked Rigel. "Because that just sounds like I'm insulting you."

"No, it's fine," said the beast.

"Okay then, Beast it is," said Rigel. "So…you say that I 'fell from the sky.' Is that a fact?" The Beast walked over to a table by the window side and picked up a shiny object. As he approached Rigel, it appeared to be a hand mirror, and the Beast said to it, "Show me my castle's courtyard." He brought it over to Rigel's side, turned so the reflection was facing him and said, "See for yourself." Rigel looked into the mirror, but instead of seeing his own reflection, he saw the crater that lay in the demolished courtyard.

"…oh," said Rigel, with guilt in his voice. "Um…I'm really sorry about that. I mean, I have no idea what caused me to 'fall from the sky,' as you put it, but…I can repair that if you want." The Beast let out a groan, somewhat like a little laugh.

"You should be paying a little more mind to healing." Rigel looked back over to his bandaged arm. He could see it more clearly now that his eyes had adjusted. The bandages were stained a reddish pink. Gloom flooded back into his face.

"My servants have medical skills, but they cannot use them in their, uh, current state," said the Beast. Rigel looked back at him, curious and confused. "They directed me in how to tend to your wound, but it isn't the best treatment."

"No, this should be fine," said Rigel, looking back at the wound. "Listen, uh, thank you for all the trouble you're going through for this. I'll try not to take too much time to get back on my feet and out of here."

"Yes," said the Beast. "I mean, take as much time as you need for that to heal. I'm sorry, but I'm still not used to having company, let alone injured strangers, in my castle."

"Well that's understandable," said Rigel. The Beast looked back at him, unimpressed by his answer. "I mean, seeing how self-conscious you are," he quickly corrected. The Beast then looked down on his wound.

"How did that happen?" ask the Beast. Rigel knew this question was coming, but it caught him off guard nevertheless.

"Oh…well," he hesitated. Then in an attempt to get out of this conversation, he "accidentally" leaned on his wounded arm and let out a cry in anguish.

"I told you not to move that arm!" commanded the Beast.

"I know," grunted Rigel. "It just slipped is all." He let out several heavy breaths until the pain lessened.

"You should be getting some rest," said the Beast.

"Yeah," agreed Rigel, "that would probably be a good idea." He slumped his head back onto his pillow as the Beast walked around the bed to the door, taking the mirror with him. As he opened the door, he said, "If you need anything, just call and my servants will be there to attend to you."

"Cool," said Rigel, "but I'll try not to abuse that privilege. …hey, thank's again for all this." The Beast looked back at Rigel as he said that.

"Get some rest, Rigel," said the Beast. "I think you need it." And with that, he exited the room and closed the door behind him.

Chapter II

_A Restless Night_

In the several preceding hours that followed, Rigel drifted in and out of consciousness. One moment, he would be lying in that newly familiar darkness, and in the next, rays of daylight would streak through the room. In one instance, he would feel the dampness of a moist cloth caressing his forehead, and then it would fade away. When Rigel slipped back into sleep, there was no prolonging and there was no dreaming. He simply dissolved into nothingness. Dark, peaceful, nothingness. Until one night…

_"…Forget this talk of doors and the heart of all worlds…You betrayed yourself…You betrayed your cause, Rigel!…Don't worry about me! Get home!…Quit while we're ahead? As if!…That's it…step into the darkness-RIGEL, STOP!"_

Rigel's eyes shot open like bullets. He panted heavily and he was drenched in sweat. So drenched that it burned his wound. Or was it really the sweat that caused the burning? It didn't matter to Rigel. All that was going through his head was the vivid memory of that nightmare. He propped himself up with his good arm and buried his face in that hand. If only he could instantly forget that dream the moment he woke up. But it wasn't going away. It stuck like a splinter in his mind. He was stuck with that memory…a memory. Was it really real?

Whatever train of thought Rigel had, it was interrupted by some occurrence down the hall. He could hear someone, what sounded like an elderly man, shouting defiantly. The shouting was ceased by the distant sound of a slamming door, and again a moment later. The slam must have echoed through the castle, making the room shake briefly. Rigel was curious as to what was occurring around him, but paid more mind to returning to sleep. Of course, what if he dreamed that dream again? He couldn't bear seeing that gruesome image just once. How could he subject himself to that again? And so, he just laid there, staring up at nothing, prolonging unconsciousness.

A good hour must have passed before he heard another disruption from out in the halls. He heard a distant shout and felt another slam of doors. What was going on out there? A couple minutes later, he heard a muffled roar. He couldn't take it anymore, he had to find out what was going on. Slowly, Rigel used his shoulder to lift his injured arm from it's idle position. The pain prickled as he moved it, but nothing too severe. Once it was over his body, he used his good arm to pull himself to the edge of the bed and he climbed out. When his feet hit the floor, he realized he was barefoot. He wondered where his boots had gone, but paid little mind to this as he slowly proceeded to the doors of his room.

He opened one of them and poked his head outside. Stomping up the hall, coming his way, was the Beast. His eyes were fiery and his fangs were bared. He took one look at Rigel and growled, "And why aren't you in there resting!" Rigel stood, baffled by the circumstances.

"Um, I just heard some noises coming from downstairs. What's going on out-"

"That's none of your concern!" shouted the Beast. "And if you don't appreciate my hospitality and time spent patching up that arm, then get out!" Rigel was really taken back by this response. He was simply curious and was getting screamed in his face for it. Perhaps this wasn't the best time to talk to him, anyway.

"No, I appreciate it," said Rigel, "I just…I'll go…sorry to bother you." The Beast stormed off down the hall as Rigel closed his door. He slowly walked back to his bedside and resumed his spot under the warm covers. What was it that got the Beast so angry? Was it the burden of taking care of Rigel himself? If that was the case, then would it be worth staying here much longer? Wounded or not, he could remain mobile if he tried. He contemplated the idea of leaving in his head, but didn't get far until things settled back down and he began drifting back to sleep. Though he was still terrified of living through the dream again, he didn't pay mind to this at all. He simply welcomed the silence as he settled and slowly began to drift back to…

"GEEEEEET OOOOUUUUT!"

"What the hell was that!" said Rigel aloud as the roar brought him back to vivid consciousness. As he crawled back out of bed, he could hear someone running down the hall. Not the Beast, but another. He could hear something else as the steps passed his door. A woman, crying. Whoever she was, it became clear that the Beast's rage wasn't due to Rigel's presence. At least not entirely. Rigel walked back to the door and creaked it open. He stood for a moment before he poked his head out once again. No one was there. Suddenly, he heard heavy footsteps coming from behind him. He turned to see the Beast making his way back down the hall to the entrance.

"I thought I told you to-"

"Yeah, I know," interrupted Rigel, "but it's a little hard to rest with all this going on." He could see this only further irritated the Beast, but he didn't care. "What is going on?"

"…someone was wandering around the castle," said the Beast reluctantly. "She went exactly where I told her not to go and I told her to get out."

"Um, no offense, but that was a little more than telling her," said Rigel. The Beast just glared back at him.

"Don't you push me too," grumbled the Beast. "Now I need to go out and find her before she gets hurt."

"Okay, now who is this we're talking about?" asked Rigel curiously as the Beast rushed off.

"Don't you worry about this!" shouted back the Beast. "Stay here, and go back to sleep!" Rigel just stood there. He could hear in the Beast's voice the obligation that he must feel. Before he was out of sight, Rigel called out to him saying, "Hey, if I'm just a huge burden on you, then I don't have to be here if you don't want me to be." The Beast stopped dead in his tracks, turned around and looked back at Rigel. "Look, I really appreciate all this, I really do…but it sounds like this is just stressing you out." Silence loomed over the hall as the Beast looked downright astounded as to what Rigel was saying.

"…you can talk to me about this when I return," the Beast said finally as he turned back around and proceeded down the hall.

Slowly, Rigel reentered his room. He felt horrible about this predicament. He felt horrible about forcing his own matters into another's life. Mostly, he felt horrible for not being able to sustain himself. Perhaps the time had come for him to depart the castle and fend for himself.

Instead of proceeding back to his bed, he walked over to the big glass doors. As he did, he saw his boots sitting side by side under the table by the doors, but left them to sit as he continued to walk barefoot. He opened a door and stepped onto the balcony. An audible crunch could be heard from beneath his foot as it planted on it, followed by an icy sensation searing through. The temperature had dropped significantly and a fresh layer of snow laid across the balcony. However, Rigel paid no mind to this and proceeded to the ledge.

All was dark, but he could make out much more of his surroundings than in his room. As he placed a hand on the ledge, he saw the end of a black sleeve from the thermal shirt he wore. He then examined the rest of his clothing and saw what poor condition it all was in. His dark blue-gray pants were tattered and worn, and he noticed the left sleeve on his shirt was cut down to his bicep to make way for the bandage. The bandage itself was wrapped from his wrist all the way up his forearm, and he could see exactly how stained the bandage was by his blood. Just looking at this made his stomach crawl and immediately brought his reoccurring dream back to his head. He looked away and out past the ledge for anything that could distract him.

Down below, he saw the courtyard in which he destroyed with his abrupt arrival to this world. His eyes quickly shifted to a bridge that lay beyond it where the Beast was rushing across and into the surrounding wood. That's all Rigel could see across the horizon was a densely wooded area. Not a single town or village could be seen beyond it. What an ideal location to hide from the rest of the world.

Suddenly, Rigel saw movement down below at the edge of the forest. Dark figures were striding along it's border. He thought maybe they were people who had come across the castle and had come to investigate. But this was not the case. They were turned the opposite way, towards the forest. And they weren't walking like a person would. They were hunched over and they prowled. Finally, Rigel determined who-or what-these things were as he noticed their clawed fingers, long antennas, and big, shining, yellow eyes. It was this site, rather than the crisp air, that made his blood freeze as he whispered, "Oh no."

Chapter III

_Attack in the Woods_

The woman rode through the forest at breakneck speed. No matter what brought her to that castle in the first place, she couldn't afford to stay there any longer. She didn't know where she was and she didn't know where she was going. All that mattered now was getting as far away from that place as she could. And so she rode through the night, without looking back.

Suddenly, her horse came to an abrupt stop, nearly throwing her from his back. The woman peered past the horse's head to see a pack of wolves blocking their path. As the horse backed away slowly, they glared back at her with a hungry look in their eyes. She then veered the horse back around and took off as the pack quickly pursued them. Once again, she was without set destination, just an aim to evade her hunters until she could reach safety. The stomping of hooves and the barking of the wolves sounded through the woods, causing fear and determination to shoot through her body like adrenaline. Her steed raced with all speed, putting as much distance between them and the wolves. Soon, the barking became less audible. Perhaps they were finally reaching a distance in which they could outrun them. The woman looked over her shoulder to see and-

Without warning, the horse bucked and the woman fell from his back and onto the snow-covered forest floor. She hoisted herself back up to find that a couple more wolves had appeared and headed them off. They began to pounce for the horse. He kicked at them as much as he could, but couldn't seem to get away. The woman looked up to see that his reigns were tangled in a branch above his head. She then quickly picked herself up onto her feet, picking up a stick from the ground, rushed towards her steed, and swatted it at one of the attacking wolves. He cried out in pain, but quickly recovered as he glared up at the woman and pounced, catching her traveling cloak in his jaws. He dragged her away from her horse, but she quickly tore the cloak free from his grip. She stood back up with stick in hand as the wolf turned back around. The barking of the pursuing pack became more and more audible until they approached and circled around the woman. She frantically looked around herself for some matter of escape, but none could be found. And as the pack leader rushed forward and prepared to pounce, she thought, "_This is it…I'm going to_-"

And then something blurred before her eyes. Something struck her to the ground, but it wasn't the wolf. She was still unharmed. She looked back up to see the Beast holding the wolf up by the throat. He roared and threw the wolf against a tree. As the wolf cried out as it impacted, the rest of the pack charged for the Beast and pounced all over him. The weight of the pack brought the Beast down, but he frantically threw as many wolves from his body as he could get his hands on. As soon as he got on all fours, he began swatting and slashing at the persistent charging of the wolves. They tore at his cloak, pounced onto his back, and sank their teeth into his arms and legs, but he kept fighting. He grabbed a few of the wolves one at a time at the surrounding trees. As soon as there was a distance between him and the pack, he let out another roar. And with that, the wolves backed away and retreated into the woods.

Before long, all was quiet, and the only audible sound was the wind and the Beast's heavy panting. He turned back towards the woman, but he was so battered and bruised, that he collapsed before he could look to see if she was unharmed. The woman picked herself back on her feet, staring at the motionless Beast. She then remembered her intent to escape him and turned back to free her horse from the branch. But as she regained control of the reigns and prepared to mount the horse, she paused. The Beast had just saved her life, and she was just going to leave him there? She let go of the reigns and turned back around to the Beast. She approached his motionless body and knelt beside it, putting a hand on his shoulder.

Then, something broke the silence. The woman looked up to see what was there. She saw nothing, but heard swift movements being made from the surrounding trees. The wolves couldn't have come back already. They would have made too much noise doing so. The swift noises continued until she saw some dark shape rushing through the trees. Fear quickly instilled in the woman once more. Suddenly, something was shining in the trees. It was a pair of glowing, yellow eyes. The eyes approached her and illuminated the body that it was connected to. What stood before her was a dark-skinned, humanoid body with sharp fingers, and long, bent antennas. Following this creature's appearance were more and more pairs of yellow eyes coming from behind the trees. From them, more dark creatures stepped forth, staring at the woman and the Beast.

"Beast…wake up," she said to the unconscious Beast. The creatures crouched as if they were readying to attack. She began to shake the Beast, crying, "Beast, please wake up!" Finally, the creatures sprang forward and the one closest jumped towards them, claws ready to strike. "BEAST!" She buried her face in the Beast's fur, once again awaiting her demise. But out of nowhere, she heard a scream followed by a slashing noise. She looked up to see someone standing with their back to them. Moderately tall, he was wearing a long, olive green coat with the hood up, and in his outstretched right arm was a gray sword in the shape of a giant key. He looked up to the surrounding creatures as they prowled through the trees. One by one, they leapt towards this person, but one by one, he struck them down with his blade, vaporizing them at the touch. Before long, the creatures began using more clever maneuvers, such as rebounding from trees or swinging from branches. But the stranger countered with swift slashes and aerial maneuvers of his own.

The creatures began to weaken in numbers, so the battle slowed in pace. In a last ditched effort, the last creature standing leapt up higher than any of it's predecessors had and dove towards the sword wielder. He looked up, letting his hood fall to reveal his dark, shaggy hair, and slashed his blade up to meet with the diving creature. It vanquished as the wielder spun around and fell to his knees and stuck his blade into the ground to support himself. The woman looked up to see this adolescent boy, head down, carrying his bandaged left arm inside his coat in a makeshift sling. He looked up, and through his bangs, his dark eyes met with hers.

"…Ri…Rigel?" The woman quickly looked down to see that the Beast had come to. He looked up, amazed, to see his wounded guest before them, having saved them both. Rigel looked down at the Beast and gave him a nod. Suddenly, the woman cried, "Look out!" Another creature was charging towards Rigel from behind. He quickly turned his head and responded by tossing his blade toward it. But this knocked him off balance and caused him to fall on his left side. His left arm slipped out of it's sling and the weight of Rigel's body fell on top of it. Immediately, an unbearable pain like any other surged through his body and he let out an ear shattering scream that echoed in the night. As he screamed, visions from his nightmares flashed before his eyes. The sight of a girl, crying, with a deep cut on the side of her face was more frequent then the rest. Finally, whether it was from the pain or from lack of breath, everything around him faded into blackness...


End file.
